Project Memento - Storyline X
by Beta-D-glucose
Summary: Sometime after the Red Alert incident, the maverick hunters receive a strange call for help, which brings them to even stranger places, filled with many mystery. Whether they fall into a deadly trap in the facilities the Aperture Science or not... of course they do. The real question is: will they be able to escape from it? (This is one of the three parallel storylines. OC content)
1. The favour

GLaDOS: _„The authoress would __like to remind you that this story is a non-profit, fanfiction crossover. All features and characters are belong to their respective owners, excluding Cyrr, Emma, Ciano and the storyline itself. Please support the official release!_

_Also, the authoress would like to encourage you to leave notifications, comments, and critics; furthermore, she wishes you a pleasant time._

_Fanfiction project: Memento starts in 5…4… - _Wait, what? Oh!_ The non-existent engineers just reminded me of something. You can choose from three parallel storylines, and if you aren't tired of reading, or survive without critical brain damage, there's a _**surprise**_ for you after each story. _

_So, choose your favorite character, and let's make science!"_

Yes, there will be three storylines, one for X (below), one for Zero, and one for Axl as well. (They will be uploaded as another stories, though.)

Thank you for your time, and let me introduce you to Project Memento!

* * *

_The favour_

It hadn't been a long time since their last battle against the mavericks. The world was more or less peaceful; at least there was no danger from evil maniacs destroying or ruling all over the Earth. For now.

X was sitting in his office, doing paperwork. The Headquarter was quiet, even though everybody knew the next battle of the endless war would be approaching soon. X looked up from his work, just to enjoy the peaceful sight through the window.

X's office was one of the few ones which looked at the small park around the HQ. Green was such a rare sight in Giga City, and X always found it pretty and calming whenever he looked at the tree next to his window.

Oh, look, a nest! X watched with fondness as a couple of birds flew over it. These creatures were so tiny and weak, yet he knew they would do anything to protect their family.

Even though X was a pacifist, gentle soul, who wanted to stop this endless flow of blood, he admitted a long ago that he had to take the X-buster again. He had to protect those who stood close to him. If words, with words, if in battle, in a battle. He can't stop unless the last tiny piece of Earth is lost as well.

Even if that last thing is his favorite tree with the nest on it.

A knocking interrupted his thoughts. Alia stood at the door, with a pile of papers and files in her hands.

"Hello, Alia. Can I help you with those?" he smiled.

"No, thank you, I'll manage" the blonde navigator shook her head. "I just dropped in, courtesy of Signas. He needs you in his office. Collect Zero and Axl as well. Please don't make him wait for long; he seems to be pretty worried."

'_No, that can't be!' _X's thoughts rang in his head. _'Did the mavericks make their first move?! This fast?!'_

"Right away." he nodded slowly "Thanks, Alia."

"Oh, X?"

"Yeah?"

Suddenly, Alia's face turned murderous. But, before X could think of anything, she continued:

"Tell Zero if he forgets to switch on his radio again, _**I'll have his head! **_Seriously, I couldn't contact him since morning! What the hell he thinks he's doing…?!"

Alia stormed out of the office still cursing Zero, not noticing X had closed the door behind her gently. It looked like Zero would have a bad day again, and a mad Alia _meant _bad. With a sigh, X picked up the cell phone, and started to dial his friend's private number…

* * *

Later, X and a half-dosing Axl were standing in front of Signas' desk. Zero said he had slept in and stuck in a traffic jam, so he won't make it in time. He seriously needed to move in a closer apartment. His current one was in the other side of the city, at least half an hour from their workplace. Most of the time he just slept one of the capsules in the HQ. Either way he wanted to prevent lateness, or he was just too lazy to go home.

Signas cleared his throat, before he pulled out a single paper.

"So, you've came, X, Axl, and… Where's Zero?"

X scratched his neck.

"Umm, sorry Sir, but he won't be able to make it at least in another half an hour."

Signas muttered something under his breath, but still continued.

"We've recently got… a strange request. More than strange. The only thing we've received so far was their letter" he tapped the single paper on his desk. "Basically, a laboratory called Aperture Science is under attack of an enemy force who call themselves The Innovators. It might be just a rival laboratory's attack, but it might be…"

"Sigma?" X guessed.

"Either, or based on the small amount of details given us, a trap. X, this mission could contain serious risks, and we have absolutely no idea what happens next if we make our move."

"What about the scout teams? Or the E.R.S.T.?"

"We're in hiatus right now. And…" Signas' expression suddenly darkened. "About the Elite Reploid Scooting Team, I've received terrible news just now. Basically, a maverick spy fled into their ring, and manipulated them so much the corruption was beyond repair. They had no choice but suspend their missions until the interrogations and clean-ups are compete. They are in worse shape than us."

X's fist clenched, but soon, he regained his calmness.

"So… what do we need know of the mission, sir?" he asked.

"The mission has two objects at once: part one is to liberate a space station from the Innovators. The other part is, we need to guard the other, ancient facility on Earth."

Signas rustled with some other papers, before continue.

"There aren't many information, even if Alia tried her best to do a little extra research. As I said, the laboratory has an underground facility on Earth, near Michigan. It's been working since the 1960's."

"1960's?!" X jumped back in surprise "My creator founded his lab somewhere in 2080's, and it's nothing more than ancient ruins now! How could they keep it in shape at all?!"

"Don't ask, X. Back to the track, they're afraid the 'Old Aperture' might be a target as well, and they have important research there, so, they want us to leave small unit guarding it. The… uhm… 'CEO' of that lab is an AI called GLaDOS. They said we need to talk with her as well. The operators are trying to contact her as we speak."

Signas cleared his throat before continue:

"Our other target is, where the distress signal came from, is a space laboratory and moon rock mine on the other side of the Moon. This is called the 'Space Aperture'. The head of the facility is a well-known scientist: Ciano."

That rang a bell for X. He hadn't been into science as much since Dr. Cain passed away, but he could recall her name for gaining some prize or something.

"She said she was a hostage at the Innovators' base, but luckily she broke out. Now she's on the run, hiding somewhere in space, thus her reason why she can't contact us more. She also gave us two coordinates, and that's all we know."

"Really? That's all? No specifications, details, maps or anything?"

"The Space Aperture is supposed to be a top secret in all agencies. The Old Aperture though… it's way too _old_ to find much more data in any of our database. We have to collect information on our own._ If_ we accept this mission, of course."

"What if we go under cover?"

"That would be unnecessary. Our response to be figured out is not what I'm worried of. But I'm concerned of my men's lives. I've called you forward because I know if someone, then you three can do anything. But I want to keep you in mind that this might be just a façade, and if we receive any clues implying that, the whole mission would be cancelled immediately. Regarding that, we will wait another two days in order to get ready and gain more information."

"But sir! If the message said it was urgent then they need help right away!"

"I know X. But I don't want to fall into a trap and risk your lives either. I hate myself for hesitating like this, but as a leader, I can't jump into conclusions. Especially times like this. I hope you, who feels worriedness, can understand."

There was silence in the room. X had never felt the air this heavy since he once told Signas that he would quit from the squads. Since the Red Alert incident, he was restored, of course.

Signas eventually dismissed them. X was walking out of the office when he noticed Axl wasn't behind him.

"Axl, let's go!" he shouted back from the door.

The young one blinked like snapping out from some trance.

"Oh! Uuuh… Yeah, X, I'm coming! Goodbye, sir!"

He hastily left the room as well, before Signas could conclude anything.

X and Axl walked in deep silence, until Axl spoke up:

"So… where are we going, again?" he yawned.

"WHAT?! Axl, don't tell me you've slept through the whole meeting!"

"Hey, I hadn't have a proper recharge in two days! Besides I thought it was one of those boring patrol missions again, so…"

X raised an eyebrow.

"We're about to go to space and rescue a runaway hostage, or fall into a deadly booby trap. You call _that_ boring?"

"Whoa, wait a sec! Did'ya just say space?"

X was about to reply, but then, they heard running footsteps. Soon a familiar, blond reploid skidded to stop in front of them.

"Hey, X, Axl" he panted "I guess I missed the whole fun, didn't I?"

"You seriously need to move closer Zero." X rubbed his forehead. "It's not the first time you're late this much."

"Signas can forgive me a couple of times. Anyways, I'll make it up for him, if he's so mad."

"But not Alia…"

"Are you going to rub it in further, or just give me a recap finally?" he grunted.

"Fine, fine…" X sighed.

He took a deep breath, and started to explain everything from the beginning, and this time he made sure Axl was listening as well…


	2. The lab under the ground

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait, but it appears, I can't really work faster.

And for my one and (so far) only reviewer, Onecrazyfangirl: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Seriously, that one sentence boosted my self confidence through the roof. I'm glad there's someone in the world who likes what I'm blabbing :)

_GLaDOS: "I've already said the disclaimer, but the nonexistent engineers forgot to record it. Go back to chapter number one, and read it, if you'd like."_

* * *

_Chapter 2.: The laboratory hidden under the ground_

The next two days were a living nightmare. The air in the HQ was filled with anxiety and anticipation. There were several debates whether Signas was making the right decision or not. X was already on the edge listening to the dumbest opinions, let alone when they had a quarrel with Zero. Even after reconciliation, it was still a shocking, but both of them had serious motives, and thankfully, both of them saw reason in the end.

However, his true torture was the waiting. He knew well he can't do anything until he's given orders. Ironically, some people _envied_ him. The members of the intelligence network worked non-stop, 24 hours a day, trying their best to catch some info. The real breakthrough came, when Alia and Signas finally contacted the Aperture's CEO, GLaDOS.

"_Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operational System."_ She explained. "_I am the AI of the supercomputer which controls and supervises the entire facility. Except the 'Space Aperture', that is out of my league, much to my dismay."_

Her voice was cool, smooth, computerized, yet somewhat human. X felt something in it he couldn't quite place.

"_About this… request… of yours, I'm afraid I can't provide much more information Ciano might gave to you. Still, finding her is my interest as well. Ah, well. If you have questions, fire them away."_

"Yes, we do, and we have tons of them" said Signas. "First, what do you know of Ciano?"

"_She was my employee, and a good one at that. We had common interests, unlimited scientific curiosity… I can say we were in good terms, until there was a little… incident between us, recently. She developed further one of Aperture's weapon, however, she gave zero credit to us. The weapon was withdrawn from the arms trade, in the end. She hadn't spoken to me, ever since."_

"When was that? And which invention is in question?"

"_The Second Generational Nano-Neurotoxin, or just nanotoxin for short. When we last talked…? Four months ago, perhaps? She usually sends reports to me after every six months. Between, we used to chat through our network."_

"Your network? Aperture has its own network?"

"_Of course. I can't grant access to it though. The server contains way too much sensitive information which would be useless to you anyway."_

"Please, Miss GLaDOS, cooperate with us, or we can't…"

"_I said __**no**__. If I wished to access your inner network server, you'd decline as well."_

"…We'll talk about this later." Alia cut in "Can't you at least tell us which one of your research could Ciano meant? We promise secrecy."

"_Unfortunately, I'm no mind reader, and we have many research which is and could be dangerous. One of our main research area is called the Portal Project…"_

* * *

X and Zero were standing in front of a rusty hut in the middle of nowhere. GLaDOS had graciously told them the exact location, gave them some maps from the lab's main areas, but they all knew the facility is way larger than that. GLaDOS reasoned most of her laboratory is completely inaccessible and destroyed by an equally compete idiot, but she didn't clarify who that was. She claimed it was literally a 'hundred-year-old' story.

On the bright side she offered one of her functional space shuttle for Axl. She even calculated the trajectory, and helped the engineers to organize everything. If all goes well, he should reach the Moon in three days. Axl departed from Cape Canaveral today. (Guess what? Because of their space project, Aperture had a warehouse filled with missiles and spaceships, hidden away in Florida.)

Everything went neatly and much more smoothly with GLaDOS around (it doesn't hurt to have a supercomputer in the team), however, X still had his doubts, which resurfaced in this exact moment.

"_This_ was supposed to be the entrance?" Zero grumbled beside him. It looked like he wasn't the only one with doubts.

That's when they heard some weird, muffled noises coming from the hut. X readied his buster, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Zero reaching for his saber as well…

_**BAM!**_

X jumped to the side, and rolled in the high grass, ready to shoot. Zero pounced, and slashed something. There was a _**poof**_, some sparks of electricity, and massive amount of smoke.

Silence.

"False alarm, X" Zero coughed. "No one's inside. It's just a lift. Or… it was."

"_At least you waited until I opened the door_" GLaDOS' voice rung from inside._ "I'm sorry. I didn't know I would trigger such… reaction when I simply open the door for you. Ah, well. This lift was malfunctioning for a while, anyways."_

The elevator shook, and suddenly, it fell down in the deep abyss. X, who was now standing next to his friend, took a curious peek in the hole.

"_If you intend to take a leap of faith, I won't stop you. However, keep in mind that more than five kilometers fall is awaiting for you, once you actually go through with it."_

"Uuuh… that means…" X scratched his chin, then he blinked in shock. "T-this hole continues _at least three miles _under the ground?! Are you joking?!"

"_No, I'm not. However, I see your mental capacities are satisfying enough. Good. I'll send you another lift. This is a well-functioning one, I checked. Don't destroy it, please."_

Zero muttered something like "you'd better do", while sending a mean look to… is that a safety camera? Yes, it is. Well, one mystery solved: that's how GLaDOS keeps an eye on everything. X suspected there might be infrared or ultrasound sensors as well, but they'd never know.

'_This whole place is a mystery…' _X thought while they were in the elevator_. 'Well, it's okay it's hidden away from the public. Dr. Doppler's lab turned out to be under the ground as well. I've seen machines refreshing air, too, switching carbon-dioxide to oxygen. The air supply isn't the problem. But how comes a seemingly dead company could afford a hangar of space ships? Or build a base on the Moon? Where does the income come from? If GLaDOS is so rich, how comes __**we, **__hunters never heard of her? Or her humongous lab, by the way? Because I have to admit, this place is huge. Now looking at it from inside, it seems even bigger.'_

X watched idly as the floors passed. Because the elevator's wall was glass (it looked like a glass cylinder with white top and bottom, steel rods holding them together), they had panoramic view. They went through a spacious, dark hall; passed several floors – which seemed to be offices, though there was no soul in them - ; they also saw a couple of weird chambers, with black-and-white walls, huge, red buttons, and cubes (Alia did tell them those were test chambers with the necessary equipment, though how they use it, he had no idea). Occasionally, they could catch a glimpse of several pipes, and a machinery which looked like some kind of factory. Then, a spectacular sight greeted them.

For a while, they could see how the chambers look _outside_. They appeared to be black boxes, hanged up to seemingly thin rails. One of them moved, just right in front of their eyes! X looked down, and shivered. He still couldn't see the bottom of that deep, black abyss.

"No wonder why we weren't given detailed maps" he whispered to his friend. "The whole facility is mobile. Dynamically transforming all the time."

"Not the whole" Zero shook his head and pointed towards a flickering light. "See that window up there? It must belong to some sorts of room, or office. Dunno. But the point is, it's on a fix location. I don't see any rails coming from it."

"_For the court record, I __**can**__ hear you. We'll greet each other face to face in 10… 9…"_

She continued to count down, and the two hunters could see three big, white rings. X's eye caught the word "GLaDOS" on them. But then, they arrived to a circular room, and saw the weirdest machine they'd ever seen.

GLaDOS was hanging upside down, her cables coming from the rings on the ceiling. And man, she was _huge! _Each of her curvy, white shells were the size of a boat, her head – X guessed it could pass away as a head – was bigger than those immobile, desk PCs. Her single, yellow optic measured them, as if she expected someone better. Oh, how X knew this stare. He could've save the world seven times, but most of his enemies still regarded him as an "ancient piece of trash". (But, those who underestimated him had another thing coming…)

Thankfully, she broke the tense moment with a graceful nod of her head.

"_Welcome to the Central Control Room, but I prefer referring it as 'my chamber'. It's nice to see you face to face at last."_

"N-nice to see you too…" X was rather awed than anything.

"_You didn't expect that I'd look like this, did you? Haha. Come on, don't be so shy… I know I look pretty."_

Zero mumbled something with "majestic" and a silent curse, but thankfully, GLaDOS didn't seem to notice. X cleared his throat.

"Well, you sure look unique, and your humor is the same… It's not always a bad thing, though."

Zero snorted, and X stepped on his foot. X didn't blame him – he didn't trust her either. That was why he _didn't_ want to see her bad side, as long as they didn't have serious reasons.

The huge AI turned away, and soon, the floor moved (yes, that too was mobile) revealing two platforms.

"_Step on the scanners, please. I have to register the two of you into the Aperture database. It makes things much more convenient, and less… dangerous."_

"Which by you mean, less deadly, right?" Zero said, not pleased at all.

To their surprise, the AI was quite the contrary. She let out a gentle chuckle, which sent down a shiver on X's spine.

"_See those shiny, fizzy-looking force fields on the exits? Those are the Aperture Science Emancipation Grills, or fizzlers for short. It prevents bringing unauthorized objects to the test chambers, or anywhere else. I'm afraid that those might recognize you as such, and destroy you. Wait, let me show you."_

A claw appeared out of nowhere, a cube in its grasp. It swung, and threw the cube. The moment the object touched the fizzler, it turned black. Finally, it disappeared in puffs of smoke, like it had never existed.

"_Oh, one more thing before I scan you: no weapons."_

Now, that was the line when even X wasn't pliant either.

"GLaDOS, how are we supposed to protect you from mavericks without weapon?" He shook his head. "I know Aperture has some, but please trust me with this: we had faced many mavericks before, and Sigma as well, the most dangerous of them. They have many tricks, many ways to kill people. It's simply too risky to…"

"Besides" Zero cut in "we are here, so in case **we **can fight back. Not just you, us. Throwing away our weapons would defeat the point of our mission."

X sighed from relief. Zero was always laconic and to the point, but he was still glad he didn't say "this is B.S." or something else out loud. Anyhow, it seemed it was working. GLaDOS turned away in thought.

"_Well, I still have… I can… easily if…" _she muttered_ "Never mind. You can have your weapons, but one scratch on my beautiful facility, and you'll be __**suffocated**__, understood?"_

The hunter duo nodded.

"_All right, now this is sorted out, can we get through the scan already? We have a lot work to do…"_

* * *

Eventually, X and Zero decided to split up. Zero scouted the test chambers and the remote areas, while X stayed nearby. Though he did wander a little, guided by GLaDOS and morbid curiosity. The whole facility was interesting and eerie at the same time. The buildings were dark, dingy, and too quiet. X could hear the humming of the power lines, the clacking of some machinery, and his own footsteps. Instead of talking. Instead of several other feet pattering against the ground, ringing telephones, the hissing of the coffee maker, the humming ventilators/air conditioners, or even the snoring, when someone fell asleep on their desk. Anything which could mean life and presence.

But these rooms were abandoned. X looked one after another, but neither held anyone in them. He couldn't lose his guard though. That was when he opened a door, he immediately readied his buster as he saw a white figure on the ground.

But it didn't move. As he observed it more, he noticed the white was a lab coat, and the rest…

His blood ran cold.

In front of him lay the remains of a human and scientist.

"G-GLaDOS?"

"_Yes?"_

"Please explain this. _Now_."

"_Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. I have no cameras in that area where you're standing. What is it?"_

"A real, genuine human skeleton! A corpse! Someone **died** in your facility!"

"_Well… there was an incident a looooong, long ago. The engineers developed a poisonous gas, but somehow it escaped from its container, and it flooded the entire facility… I remember it, it was 'bring your daughter to work day' at us… Only a few made it out alive."_

"WHAT?! H-how?! How could they be this careless?! And how could you let them to invent a deadly poison, anyways?! This… this is…"

"_I wasn't in charge when they developed it. I was just activated on that fateful day. Even I couldn't do anything."_

"This is just horrible… those were innocent lives! Such a terrible birthday…"

"_Not so innocent if you ask me… never mind. I'll send one of my android workers soon, to collect the remains. You can continue searching. Or… I see you're quite shaken up. Return to my chamber, what do you say?"_

"No thanks. I'll just continue scouting."

GLaDOS didn't answer, not like he needed one either. He quickly wiped off a tear in the corner of his eye, and set off.

'_Laboratory my lightanium butt…' _he thought sadly_ 'This is nothing, but a slaughterhouse! Who knows how many lives were also lost besides that massacre… This place had been sticky, but now I smell blood as well… Maybe Zero was right. We shouldn't have set our feet here in the first place. Then again, maybe it's not just Ciano's life which depends on us. Wait! The test subjects! Alia did say they have some… I'll do a little investigation. I need to find out how many they are and I'll __**have**__ to ensure their safety as well! Frankly, I doubt they are okay where they are now…'_

* * *

X was walking down on a catwalk, when his radio started beeping in his ear.

"Hey, X! Zero there. Found anything interesting?"

"No… nothing besides a human skeleton."

"Yeah, I keep coming across those all the time. Even reploid corpses. I hoped they'd be maverick, but now I doubt it."

"Maybe you should give a scan to Alia. I'm sure she could tell from a database…"

"That's it. I can't contact the HQ. I've tried."

"What?! But how? It worked underground before!"

"…"

"Zero?"

"… I have no idea. Anyways, nil mavericks, if we don't count the possibility that they're already dead."

"Wait, Zero! Have you found… anybody else alive? Like, you know…"

"DAMMIT!"

"Zero, are you okay?!"

He heard him sigh deeply.

"No big deal, just those turrets… I almost activated one again. They guard the security areas, but there's a bunch of them in the chambers too. Anyway, maybe we need to run into each other. My ears are itchy from this thing."

X was about to ask the sudden cause of the discomfort, when the penny fell. "My ears are itchy" was their code, which meant: "the line is tapped, be careful what you say".

"Okay. As you wish, Zero."

"See ya later!"

"Be careful!"

X gulped, and silently cursed himself. He should've thought of this earlier! GLaDOS keeps an eye on everything, including every contact, income and out. Heck, she could easily jam their connection with the HQ!

But why would she do this? Why would she make their job even harder? _Maybe_…

X froze in his step. _They had to get the hell out of there_, the sooner the better. And who knows, Axl… It was GLaDOS who gave him the ship… Call him paranoid, but all three of them might be in grave danger, about to step in that deadly booby trap!

He needed to contact. **Now**. He tapped on his radio.

"Maverick Hunter Headquarters, come in!"

_**Krsssshshhshsshhh**_!

"It's me, X! Can you hear me?"

_**Krsssshshhshsshhh!**_

"Alia! Anybody!"

Still nothing, but the static noise. Okay, no panic. Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale. No panic. No panic. No panic… Calm. Panicking and self-loathing won't help either. They're on their own, but that doesn't mean they should just give up hope. There has to be a way out of here, and if there isn't, they'll _make_ one. On the other hand, there's a slight possibility that a third party is screwing with them all. They had to find the truth behind this, and fast, before things go out of control…

But first, he had to find Zero. He raised his hand to his ear again, when he saw **it**_._

A yellow flash. On the top of a test chamber.

"Z-Zero?"

He took one step, but then, GLaDOS snapped.

"_Where do you think you're going?"_

X cringed.

"Who, me?"

"_No, not you. Just one feisty test subject decided it'd be a good idea to climb out – again. Don't mind her, it's her little habit, or whatever."_

X decided not to comment, but contacted with his friend instead.

"Zero, can you read me?"

"Yup, clear as crystal."

"Say, where are you?"

"I guess in the eastern wing, if the map is reliable. Need me to come over?"

GLaDOS was right in one thing: it really wasn't Zero. He was in the other side of the building now.

"Yes. I think I just saw someone. I could've sworn it was you, but you aren't near to me. GLaDOS said it was a she and she's her test subject."

"Want me to fetch her?"

"If you can, please. I'll go searching, too. Worst case scenario, it would be better if she's out of harm's way."

"…Okay. Switch on your location signal, and I'll find you."

Sighing deeply, X pressed a button on his buster, and set off. He hoped GLaDOS would be _soooo _kind, and not to jam the signal…

They both – and maybe the upside-down AI, too – knew the real reason behind this. More witness means more information. And if their assumptions are right, more info might be crucial for their survival…

* * *

Author's note no.2.: Let's play a game! Can you guess what Zero grumbles? Yeah, he doesn't like being there at all, and he doesn't hide it. He has his reasons, you'll see in his chapter. I'll try updating a bit faster, but no promises. Anyways, sorry for grammatical errors. Until next time!


	3. Hello darkness, my old friend

A.N.: Hello, I'm back! About the delay, I don't really have any excuse. I was deep in the "demotivational pit" or author's block, whatever you wanna call it. (And to be honest, I'm not fully out of it, still. But your kind reviews helped me a lot.) My second problem, is that I had to rearrange the script a bit. Remember, all three storyline happens at the same universe, at the same time, and Axl's space mission takes longer than expected first. Soooooo, yeah. Giga-mega-über sorry for the hiatus.

_GLaDOS: All characters belong to their respective owners, except THAT test subject. And don't you worry, little story… __**we'll finish you**__…"_

* * *

_Hello, darkness, my old friend…_

The mysterious test subject was moving way too fast. By the time X reached one test chamber, she had already solved the test, and moved on. And if that wasn't enough, GLaDOS was sending her to completely random locations. For example, five minutes ago, she was in chamber 5, then, she reappeared in chamber 28, in the other side of the western wing. The blue bomber stopped for a breather, just to let out a frustrated sigh. This isn't going anywhere. Besides, where's Zero?!

He almost reached for his ear to make contact, when suddenly, the lights came out.

"Whoa! What's going on?!"

His eyes could barely adjust to the darkness, when a reflector – for him it felt like a reflector, at least – was switched on. X had to shield his eyes.

"_Look. I think we really need to talk." _GLaDOS spoke up, her voice colder than ever.

X didn't have that much experience with women, but even he knew when a female says: "we need to talk", nothing good can come out of it. Still, he turned towards the illuminated path – which happened to be a door – and readied his buster. The AI opened the door for him. X braced himself, and began walking.

On the other side, there was nothing peculiar. A simple room, lighted dimly. The catwalk he was walking on was a dead-end. Harmless enough, until he heard a suspicious crackling sound coming from below. X peeked down, and saw the source too: the chamber floor was replacing itself with lethal-looking, spiky plates. Only the narrow catwalk kept him falling to his doom. He cautiously began receding, however, the door was already sealed behind him.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

"_Don't act like you don't know. I know you are planning something, and that something is against me. Even if that wouldn't be true – which I highly doubt - , you clearly don't trust me."_

"Look, I have every right not to trust you. But I'm sure there might be…"

"_A misunderstanding? Oh please. I am the most massive collection of wisdom ever existed on this rotted planet. If you think you can convince me with a weak lie like that, you're horribly wrong. It's like adding insult to injury…"_

"GLaDOS, please, listen to me! There might be a third party, who is screwing with both of us! We can't commit another dumb mistake like the repliforce incident!"

"_Ah, yes. Repliforce. How tragic."_ X was now totally sure she was speaking with sarcasm. _"Listen: if you'll be honest, I'll be honest. What do you want with my test subject?"_

X looked straight to the camera, before reply: "I want to ensure her safety. She's already in grave danger while testing, let alone when probably mavericks are hiding around!"

"_Do you believe I can't take care of her?"_

"Do you think I didn't see those chambers? Sentry turrets, bottomless pits, spiky crushers, laser beams…"

"_Thermal beams."_

"Whatever! And nanotoxin, on the top of that? What kind of testing is going on here, anyway?! This is inhumane! … Or… you get my point."

"_You'd call it cruelty, I call it making science. Ah, well. At least the final piece falls in the puzzle. I know you want to take me down, but I didn't understand how she comes in the picture. But good thinking. Take the hindering trash out of your way…_"

"No, that's wrong! I don't want to fight, unless there's no other choice! Second, she's no trash. I refuse to believe that!"

"_Why? You don't even know her. You don't even know what she is. Who knows, maybe she's just another, soulless robot, my tool…"_

"Then why do you call her 'her'?"

Silence.

"_Ahahahhhaahahahaha!"_ the AI chuckled _"I admit you've almost got me there. However, do you remember how people often address their vehicles as 'she'? Cars, ships, spaceships… still, they aren't sentient. Maybe she isn't either."_

"I doubt she falls into the 'vehicle' category. I couldn't get a good look at her, but she pretty much seemed to have an android shape. Besides, I thought you would be straight with me now."

The AI was quiet again. The air was so tense it sparkled.

"_Okay. Fair is fair."_

Suddenly, the door was blocked by a grill of thermal beams. His only, remaining route was… down. Down to the lethal spikes. He quickly tapped on his ear to make contact with Zero. But, by now, that line was jammed, too.

He slowly turned back to the camera. He didn't yell, he didn't even scream. His voice was calm, but colder than liquid nitrogen.

"So that's it. You want to kill me."

"_Correct."_

"Why?"

"_Because, even if I don't see myself as such, but according to your code, you'd consider me a criminal."_

Realization hit X. The "take your daughter to work day"… the corpses he and Zero found…

"…You killed them…" he whispered.

"_Yes."_

"There are no invaders here. _You_ were the maverick all along… You just lured us there to finish us."

"_As I told you before, I'm not an idiot. I probably couldn't save my precious facility by openly claiming that I'm against your world's 'ideals'. It's much easier to explain that both of you had an unfortunate death incident. Oh, before you ask, I have absolutely no connection to Sigma. I doubt he even knows about the Aperture. __**No.**__ I've c__**h**__ose__**n**__ this __**pa**__th. Y__**o**__u __**we**__ren'__**t e**__ven pl__**an**__ned when __**I**__ came to __**my de**__cision."_

X just listened. There was nothing else he could do, anyway.

"_I__**t wa**__sn't __**the**__ m__**ac**__hin__**es **__w__**h**__o __**fo**__rc__**ed**__**m**__e __**to**__**thi**__s __**position.**__**It wasn't**__ the __**machines **__who __**ripped out my brain and tore me from my family! It wasn't the machines who made me have D.I.D.! It was the engineers! YES! The humans who you so love and protect!"**_

Just what is she talking about? Rip out her brain? Family? What is D.I.D.? And what was happening to her voice? It almost seemed like… another person speaking.

"_**You know little, very little what had happened in this facility. People turned other, unsuspecting and innocent people to… to monsters. Humans had sent other humans to a warphole, and to this day, nobody found them… and don't let me talk about MY case… I'm sorry, X. But if you'd seen what I did, even you would lose your faith in humanity as well. I… I….**__ I…I-__**I**__-I-__**I-**__I-I-__**II**__-I—__**I..-I-.-….**__I.__**I.**__-I-I.-…"_ Before the hunter could blink, she reverted to her original, smooth, yet cold tone. "_Enough. I've wasted too much time just talking to you. I still have your blond friend to handle."_

X's eyes widened. _**Zero?!**_

"NO! Please, do whatever you want with me, but don't hurt Zero!"

The silence was broke only by the buzzing beams, and the AI's quiet, icy chuckle.

"…_Ooops, too late. Now you have to die while you feel the terrible guilt. Don't think I don't know: _you_ were the one who dragged him down there. Down to his grave, and to your grave. How is that feel?"_

The blue bomber couldn't answer. Rage pooled in his chest, against GLaDOS, and against himself. All of this was his fault… She was right. Zero was right. His stupid golden heart had caused their doom.

"_It was nice to meet you. Thank you for your visit to the Aperture Science Computer-aided Enrichment Centre. Goodbye!"_

One thermal beam cut the thin catwalk, and he began to fall. Mega Man X closed his eyes and…

* * *

**CRASSSSSHH!**

He landed on some kind of surface, and he hit it hard. But instead being impaled on the spikes, he was surprisingly in one piece, lying on the cold, flat, metal floor. The only thing convinced him that he was yet alive, was the pain. And boy, what a pain…!

"X…!"

The maverick hunter cracked his eyes open, just to see a figure rushing to him. He looked up to the ceiling too – one of the spiky panels were opened, now limply hanging above.

"X! X!" the figure shook him "Get a hold on yourself, we_ need_ to get out of there, NOW!"

And without any warning, he – X recognized the voice as a male – grabbed one of his arms, and pulled him up. X perfectly understood the urgency of the situation, but when the stranger began to move him, he was caught in severe dizziness. Must be an effect of a minor concussion, or something.

"Move! _Move_!" the stranger urged.

"…can't… my… my head…" X rasped. True, for him, the world began spinning like a merry-go-round.

"Just try to walk with me then, okay? We'll get you safe, but we must **not** stop, understood?"

X tried to nod, but it seemed, the stranger wouldn't care what his opinion was, anyway. He kept dragging him through dark corridors, run-down offices, and once, even down the stairs. Miraculously, X somewhat managed to keep his balance, and not fall flat on his face.

Finally, they seemed to stop. The man modified his grip on him, and gently let him sit down on the floor.

"Wait for me here." He said, and he walked away. All X saw from him was a big, white blur.

At last the blue hunter had the time to reach to his back, and after some rummaging, he found a healing capsule. He carefully opened it (it was quite a maneuver with his weakened, shaky hands), and began sipping its content. The warmth of the pure energy, and the metallic/salty taste of nanomachines were pure bliss. The headache and dizziness were gone, and his vision was clear as a crystal. Even his spirits weren't as low as they were before.

Now, let's take another look… _Uh-oh._

It looked like they were at a vault, or at least that's what he guessed from the thick, man-sized, (most likely) armored door. But the particular entrance wasn't the problem. It was the security.

Above the door hung a spike plate, from all directions, turrets pointed their markerlights, and if that wasn't enough, he spotted a new kind of turret, which carried… a rocket. In the middle of it all stood the stranger who had just saved him (probably), and took him down there. He was… wait a second…

Labcoat… that helmet… no way, that can't be…! He was supposed to be...

"Chell, Emma, open the door" the scientist said. "It's me, Gate."

* * *

AN time! Sorry for the short chapter, but I didn't want to sit on it longer, and I felt this would be a good point to end it. For now. Thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it. As for Chell... you'll see soon. I won't spoil. Oh yeah, D.I.D. stands for dissociative identity disorder, the closest thing I could find for lady G.'s mental condition (especially in Portal 1.)

TazmaniaLizard: DUUUUDE!/GIIIIRL! You just blew my goddamned mind. But, let's ignore the incest, because deeper family ties will come soon. Not for him, but... you'll get the idea when I actually mention it in-story.

Zero's and Axl's chappie will still take a while, so... please, don't kill me...


End file.
